Category Archives: UK news

No-deal Brexit battle set to come to head in September

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Opponents of chaotic exit from EU still divided on strategy to outmanoeuvre Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson is preparing for a parliamentary battle against MPs trying to block a no-deal Brexit in the second week of September, as his cross-party opponents continue to be divided about the best way to stop the UK crashing out on 31 October.

A senior government source said Downing Street believed the first legislative showdown over no deal would be on 9 September, when parliament is due to debate a progress report on power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

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Facebook denies giving contradictory evidence to parliament

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Committee chairman suggested staff knew Cambridge Analytica had misused data before Guardian revelation

Facebook executives did not give contradictory evidence to a parliamentary committee investigating the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the firm has claimed, insisting that it learned of the misuse of data only when the Guardian reported it in December 2015.

The company was responding to Damian Collins, the chairman of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, who had sought clarification on points made by two Facebook executives before the committee.

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Regulator looking at use of facial recognition at King’s Cross site

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Information commissioner says use of the technology must be ‘necessary and proportionate’

The UK’s privacy regulator said it is studying the use of controversial facial recognition technology by property companies amid concerns that its use in CCTV systems at the King’s Cross development in central London may not be legal.

The Information Commissioner’s Office warned businesses using the surveillance technology that they needed to demonstrate its use was “strictly necessary and proportionate” and had a clear basis in law.

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UK and Ireland commemorate 1979 Fastnet race disaster

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Series of events include exhibition of portraits by Welsh artist Dan Llywelyn Hall, poetry and vigils

It was the summer storm that roared without warning into the Celtic Sea, unleashing monster waves that ambushed a fleet of 303 boats competing in the Fastnet race.

Instead of skimming along the south coast of the UK to the Fastnet Rock off south-west Ireland, sailors found themselves battling for life against howling winds and walls of water. Dozens of yachts capsized, trapping crews in their cabins and tossing others into the foam.

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Britons have spent £4bn stockpiling goods in case of no-deal Brexit

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Research suggests one in five people have a food, drinks and medicine hoard worth £380

Britons have spent £4bn stockpiling goods in preparation for a possible no-deal Brexit, new research suggests.

One in five people are already hoarding food, drinks and medicine, spending an extra £380 each, according to a survey by the finance provider Premium Credit. The survey found that about 800,000 people have spent more than £1,000 building up stockpiles before the 31 October Brexit deadline.

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US security adviser in Britain to discuss Iran, Huawei – and Brexit

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John Bolton expected to urge tougher UK stance towards Tehran and Chinese firm

John Bolton, Donald Trump’s national security adviser, has arrived in London for talks at which he is expected to urge Britain to toughen its stance on Iran and Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei.

As the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union on 31 October, many diplomats expect London to become increasingly reliant on the United States.

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Caroline Lucas calls for emergency female cabinet to block no-deal Brexit

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Green MP urges 10 top female politicians to form cabinet of national unity to deliver fresh referendum

The Green MP, Caroline Lucas, has thrown down the gauntlet to 10 high-profile female politicians over blocking a no-deal Brexit, proposing a cabinet of national unity including Labour’s Emily Thornberry, the Liberal Democrat leader, Jo Swinson, and the former Conservative cabinet minister Justine Greening to seek legislation for a fresh referendum.

In an extraordinary proposal that will be viewed with scepticism by rival parties, Lucas offered to broker a deal with female MPs from all the main political parties in Westminster, as well as the SNP’s leader, Nicola Sturgeon.

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Police officer run over by own car ‘could have life-changing injuries’

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Officer needs further surgery as man, 29, held in Birmingham on suspicion of attempted murder

A police officer has “potentially life-changing” injuries after he was run over with his own car, as a 29-year-old man detained on suspicion of attempted murder remains in custody.

West Midlands police said the officer was being treated for head and pelvic injuries and would return to the operating theatre after emergency surgery on Saturday night.

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Sajid Javid’s plan to flood tills with Brexit 50p coins

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Chancellor said to be preparing to put millions of coins into circulation for 31 October leave date

The chancellor, Sajid Javid, is said to be drawing up plans for millions of 50p Brexit coins to be minted in time for Britain’s departure from the EU.

Javid has asked officials to look at whether it will be possible to produce the coins in volume ready for the UK’s scheduled EU leaving date of 31 October, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

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British government’s Hong Kong intervention riles China

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Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, underlines ‘one country, two systems’ in call to Carrie Lam, the Hong Kong chief executive

China has lashed out at the British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, after he spoke to Hong Kong’s leader about protests that have morphed from a campaign against a controversial extradition bill into rolling street demonstrations demanding electoral reforms.

Raab spoke to Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, and stressed the need for “meaningful political dialogue and a fully independent investigation into recent events as a way to build trust” in the territory, the UK Foreign Office said.

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Boris Johnson pledges to extend police stop and search powers

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Prime minister also announced creation of 10,000 more prison places at a cost of £2.5bn

Boris Johnson has said he is determined to tackle rising levels of knife crime by announcing an extension of police stop-and-search powers.

At the same time, the prime minister announced the government would be investing £2.5bn in creating 10,000 new prison places to ensure serious violent and sexual offenders got the sentence they deserved.

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Kashmir travel restrictions partly eased but phones and web still blocked

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India’s Muslim-majority state is cut off from the world with phones and internet blocked

There were signs that travel restrictions in Indian-administered Kashmir had been relaxed on Saturday in the state’s summer capital, Srinagar, where the streets were reportedly busy with people trying to buy food ahead of Eid. Landlines, mobile phones and the internet all remained blocked, however, preventing residents from calling relatives or friends.

Related: Kashmir: India’s ‘draconian’ blackout sets worrying precedent, warns UN

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Brexit enforcer Cummings’ farm took €235,000 in EU handouts

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Boris Johnson aide, a strident critic of Brussels, is accused of hypocrisy over payments

Boris Johnson’s controversial enforcer, Dominic Cummings, an architect of Brexit and a fierce critic of Brussels, is co-owner of a farm that has received €250,000 (£235,000) in EU farming subsidies, the Observer can reveal.

The revelation is a potential embarrassment for the mastermind behind Johnson’s push to leave the EU by 31 October. Since being appointed as Johnson’s chief adviser, Cummings has presented the battle to leave the EU as one between the people and the politicians. He positions himself as an outsider who wants to demolish elites, end the “absurd subsidies” paid out by the EU and liberate the UK from its arcane rules and regulations.

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Begum lawyer says legal ploy could stop her return to Britain

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Citizenship appeal for UK Isis teenager being ‘deliberately delayed’

Shamima Begum’s attempt to overturn the decision to revoke her UK citizenship is being deliberately delayed, according to her lawyers, to give police time to charge the former Islamic State member with a terrorism offence.

Almost six months have passed since Begum lodged an appeal against the decision, by the former home secretary, Sajid Javid. Yet the 19-year-old, who joined Isis aged 15 and remains in Syria, is still waiting for a date to be set with the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), which adjudicates on cases where the home secretary has revoked someone’s nationality on grounds of national security.

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Suspected ‘pollution incident’ turns River Frome tributary blue

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Environment Agency analysing Somerset stream but says there are no reports of dead wildlife

A mysterious substance that has turned a tributary of a river in the West Country bright blue is being investigated by the Environment Agency.

Tests are being carried out on the River Frome in Somerset this weekend after the water turned a luminous colour. The Environment Agency said it was treating it as a suspected pollution incident but there were no reports of dead wildlife.

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Nora Quoirin: parents of missing girl thank Malaysian search teams

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Parents thanked police and volunteers as Irish band Westlife appealed to fans

The parents of a London teenager with learning difficulties who has been missing for almost a week in Malaysia have thanked teams taking part in a widespread search operation.

Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin, whose 15-year-old daughter, Nora, has been missing since last Sunday, said terima kasih (thank you) on Saturday to those searching for her.

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UK energy watchdog demands answers after major power cut

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Outage caused travel chaos and cut electricity to almost 1m people in England and Wales

The energy watchdog, Ofgem, is demanding answers from the National Grid after a power cut left people stuck in trains for up to nine hours and cut electricity to almost 1 million people in England and Wales.

The biggest power outage in a decade caused widespread disruption on the rail network during the evening rush hour on Friday. Traffic light systems stopped working, causing gridlock in some areas, and Newcastle airport was left in darkness. Power had been restored to 900,000 customers by Saturday, but the rail network was struggling to get services back to normal.

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Prince Andrew groped young woman’s breast at Epstein house, court files allege

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  • Prince accused of touching young woman’s breast
  • Allegation contained within files in Ghislaine Maxwell case

Prince Andrew was accused in court documents of touching a young woman’s breast at the Manhattan mansion of Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy financier now facing federal sex trafficking charges in New York.

The allegation was contained within a tranche of just unsealed court papers in a defamation case involving Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and media heiress accused of procuring underage girls for Epstein and his social circle of the rich, famous and powerful.

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